Light emitting diodes (LEDs) are being used as light sources in an increasing variety of applications extending from communications and instrumentation to household illumination, automotive lighting and image projection systems. In image projection systems, LEDs have many advantages over conventional high intensity discharge lamps (HID lamps). LEDs operate at lower temperatures than HID lamps, do not require pressurized mercury vapor, and are safer and more reliable in use.
Unfortunately for several applications, including image projection, the light output from conventionally packaged LED die is relatively unfocused in that it emits from the LED at a wide angle. For a typical LED source, the output light is at least one-half the peak power over an angle of about 120°. However only the light within about 12° of the center (an angle of about)24° is useful in typical image projection systems.
FIG. 1, which is a schematic cross section of a conventional LED 10 illustrates the problem to which the present invention is directed. The LED 10 comprises an LED die 11 mounted on a base 12 and encapsulated in a transparent material such as an epoxy dome 13. The die 11 can be mounted within a surface cavity (not shown).
As illustrated, light rays 14 will leave die 11 over a wide angular range of approximately 120°. The range may be slightly narrowed by an encapsulant dome 13 shaped to act as a lens. But much of the light 14 falls outside of the relatively narrow radiation pattern, within which emitted light may usefully be employed by a typical image projection system, such as a radiation pattern, 15 as shown in FIG. 1.
Efforts have been made to reduce the spatial extent of LED light sources by the use of optical devices such as reflectors and lens optics. However, this approach does not improve the entendue of the light source as measured by the product of the source emission area and the light emission angle. Accordingly, there is a need for light emitting diodes with improved light collimation.